Deacon Michael Pavuk, HTOS Director of Development, brought the Jordanville Pochaev Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos, with the blessing of Archimandrite Luke and at the invitation of Archpriest Serge Lukianov, Rector, to the parish of the New Martyrs & Confessors of Russia on 18th Avenue in Brooklyn, New York, for their patronal feast, which occurred this year on the Sunday of the Prodigal Son.

Deacon Michael Pavuk, HTOS Director of Development, brought the Jordanville Pochaev Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos, with the blessing of Archimandrite Luke and at the invitation of Archpriest Serge Lukianov, Rector, to the parish of the New Martyrs & Confessors of Russia on 18th Avenue in Brooklyn, New York, for their patronal feast, which occurred this year on the Sunday of the Prodigal Son.

Metropolitan Antony (Khrapovitsky) commissioned that historic icon as a replica of the original Pochaev Icon by early the 20th century. Archimandrite Vitaly (Maximenko) then took the icon to the monastery in Ladimirovo before it came to Holy Trinity Monastery in 1946 with the brotherhood who immigrated here after World War II.

The icon was present at the All-Night Vigil on February 3 in Brooklyn and during the Hierarchal Divine Liturgy celebrated the next morning by Metropolitan Hilarion, First Hierarch of the Russian Church Abroad. Before and during both services and following the Divine Liturgy until 3:00 pm, a steady stream of the faithful came forward to venerate this most precious image of the Most Holy Theotokos. Many parishioners at the Brooklyn church are recent immigrants from Russia and the Ukraine who consider the Pochaev Icon as ‘their’ image of the Mother of God. Numerous attendees wept and some even fell to the ground in full prostrations as the icon arrived at the church.